It was drizzling today but Helotes was already soaked and didn’t give a flying fuck. He had been walking along the shore in the western most parts of Inferni and had just kept going after he had exited the territory. He had followed along the rocky beach for an hour or two without heeding any kind of marking of boundary. Even if there had been a scent marking, Helotes would have missed it; his nose did not work as well in wet weather as it did in dry, and being on the beach where there was nothing to mark made it nearly impossible for him to have detected that he had trespassed a good distance into Salsola.

He had crossed a river several minutes ago, and after pausing on the beach to take a piss in the water he decided he would head back to it to get a drink. He stretched lazily, his lupus form aching slightly from the long walk, and shook his fur despite the fact that that would do absolutely no good in this weather. With a sigh he turned and began walking back to the river, which was perhaps a mile behind him.

As he walked, he wondered why Inferni hadn’t claimed this territory, it seemed like a decent place, there was water, most likely game, and being so close to the ocean it couldn’t get too harsh in climate. He was distracted from these thoughts as several seagulls suddenly took flight from some grass beside him, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. He barked at them angrily and snarled, annoyed that they had scared him so. Their loud crying made him realize how quiet it had been on his walk and he suddenly became nervous, and hurried his pace up a little.

His nervousness was spot on when beside him there was an explosion of cream fur, claws and teeth that came right towards him. He had little time to react and tried to dodge towards the frothing waves but it was to no avail; the wolfess’ teeth sunk like needles into his haunches. Helotes yelped in pain and surprise, his pupils narrowing to pin pricks and with a rough jerk he managed to dislodge the girl from his back.

He squared off with her, heaving, adrenaline beginning to course through his veins causing his extremities to tingle and his skin to heat up. He went into attack mode, raising his hackles, baring his sharp canines and growling threateningly at her. He knew he was in trouble; though he had nearly completely healed from his last fight, he wasn’t at a hundred percent, and though this was a female she had the upper hand in size and territory.

But, just to test the waters, and to show this bitch that he wasn’t a push over in any sense, Helotes lunged at her like lightning, mouth full of razors aimed square at her face. Perhaps, if anything, he could wipe that smug expression from it and leave nothing but torn flesh instead.

He managed to rip into her snout and when he jumped away he had a chance to see the crimson start pouring from the wound. For a split moment, he thought she might back down, but then he saw that look in her eyes, that look that he himself had become infamous for in the past. It was a look of complete and unadulterated rage and it was aimed squarely at him. Then she roared. He didn’t even know wolves could roar and he recoiled. Oh yes, he was in deep trouble now.

Before he could begin to react she was upon him, her nails like claws into his flesh and her jaw heading straight for his throat; for the kill. He twisted again, somehow managing to dodge this deadly attack and instead her teeth clamped down like a vice on his foreleg. He yelped and attempted to fight back but she continued with such a frantic pace that he didn’t even have a chance. He felt her teeth sink into his flesh again and again.

Frantically, with death seemingly looming as a possibility in his future he managed to push her off him and scrambled in the sand to try to flee.